Manufacturing process of blanks for watch movements provided with jewel-insetting or plug holes



E AS NQE$59U @APRfiL i9 @922 Feb 2 1926. 1,571,756 r H. OMB MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF BLANKS FOR WATCH MOVEMENTS PROVIDED wn a JEWEL IN-SETTING 0R PLUG HOLES Filed Oct 5, 1922 Invert/for HCoZomlr Patented Feb. 2, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrice.

HENRI GOLOMB, OF TAVANNES, SWITZERLAND.

MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF BLANKS FOR WATCH MOVEMENTS PROVIDED WITH JEWEL-INSETTING QR PLUG HOLES.

Application filed October 5, 1922. Serial No. 592,642.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRI COLOMB, citizen of the Confederation of Switzerland, residing at Tavannes, Switzerland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacturing Processes of Blanks for Watch Movements Provided with J ewel- Insetting or Plug Holes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in blanks for watch movements.

According to the manufacturing process hitherto adopted for turning out watch movement plates and bridges, the movement blank is always completed by the operations connected with uprighting and jewel-setting, which operations require skilled labour and more or less complicated machinery, as well as first grade tools, the gauging and maintenance whereof are often costly and troublesome. If as a consequence said tools are not repaired whenthey should be, the result is that complete series of watch pieces are made with persistent defects or imperfections which are detected only when the movements are assembled or finished up and which are the cause of serious inconveniences, both to manufacturers and workmen. I

According to the usual method of manufacturing movement blanks, the accuracy of the working holes which serve as guiding marks and for a means of mounting and rotating the plates during machining, gradually decreases as the blanks are completed, 21nd, for the later operations connected with the uprighting and jewel-setting, the very basis required for obtaining thoroughly in-- terchangeable parts is wantin Further, the tootholes in the plate and bridge are generally produced according to prickpunching only, which method requires in all cases, a separate manipulation of each movement, and the plates and also the bridges to be fitted thereunto then require to be numbered in order to secure, after uprighting or jewelsetting, a co-axial position of the holes wherein the stafif pivots are to revolve.

In recent years, certain manufacturers have endeavoured to do away with numbering and to alter the uprighting system by stamping out by means of a die punch the footholes in the plate together with the Working holes used therewith as guides for the later operations. The foot-holes in bridges be ing duly rectified, this method allows of uprighting the bridges on special working plates, independently of. the movement plates. But jewel-setting the bridges as well as uprighting and jewel-setting the plates are performed by machinery, or by tools similar to those employed when the movement blank is executed according to the method hereinbefore described.

The principal object of the present in vention, is to avoid the necessity for uprighting the plates and bridges, and to do away with the method of jewel-setting in current use with all machines and workingplates required for such operations. A further object of the invention is to secure thorough interchangeability and thus dispense with the necessity for numbering the pieces. A still further purpose of the invention is to provide for quick and accurate testing of the plates and bridges, at any time, or at any stage of the machining there'- of, by means of suitable gauges,

1 The manufacturing process according to the present invention relates to blanks for watch movements fitted with jewel in-settings or plugs within which the stalls or spindles revolve, and is characterized by the relative positions of the jewel iii-setting or plug holes and of the foot-holes being accurately located when the blanks are finished or nearly so, by simultaneous die rectification of the corresponding borings. It is to be understood that other borings and adjustments eventually required in connection with fitting other parts of the movement, may also be rectified at the same time; so as to avoid any further uprighting.

This rectification, as regards movement plates, may be performed according to the usual working holes or according to two or more additional working holes, the latter being rectified on the basis of the former, or vice versa, at the right moment. Said additional working holes may serve later for a definite object or purpose, they may for example be used to locate pillars, headpins, jewel iii-settings or plugs and the like.

For turning out the bridges, a similar method is employed: the jewel iii-setting or plug hole or holes and the foot-holes may be rectified at the same time, or on the other hand, the screw holes are'rectified when cutting out the jewel-setting or plug hole or holes, and then after subsequent rectification,

are themselues used as working holes when the jewel iii-setting hole or holes and the tootholes in the bridge are rectified with the die. Should the number of holes provided, for example, in a bridge, be inadequate to allow of two, at least, of these holes being taken as guiding-marks, one of said holes Ina be taken in combination with a portion of the outside periphery of the bridge, or the complete outside periphery of said brid e, may he used.

lV hen on the one hand the position of the toot-holes in bridges relatively to the axis oi the jewel iii-setting hole or holes, hasbeen exactly located. through an accurate rectilication of all these parts, and on the other hand. the corresponding holes in the plate have also been rectified in a similar reliable manner, thoroughly interchangeable piece: will be obtained. Later on. the holes for plugs or jewel iii-settings will receive their corresponding pieces, the periphery whereot has been exactly rectified and centered according to the pivot bearings.

It will be readily understood that with such jewel iii-settings or plants located in con tormity with the hereinbe'tore described method, not only the plates and bridges are interchangeable. but also the wheel stat'ts or spindles will be maintained straight, while the distances between centers will remain fixed throughout a. series. The latter ad vantage is very important, since it allows oi? using accurate and interchangeable parts,

thus helping both factor operator and res pairer. Operations connected with assembling; and finishing-up are thus greatly simplified by this invention since they may be performed in shorter time and by less skilled hands, while improved results are also obtained.

In particular the necessity' for finishing up, an operation which hitherto has always required specialized workmen. \v il-l be greatlv reduced it not entire 3' elninnated espec iullv when the elements are main:tactured as they should he. viz. to standard messuremeuts.

it is 'l'urther pointed out that plugs and jewel ites-eltiurrs. manu'l actured according to the in'esent invention are interchangreablo since their diameters are accurate and the holes in plates and bride 1 within which the are headed. are eas ly rectilied to nurtumuin clearance ot a quarter (it one hundredth ot millimeter. The ditlerence in diameter between the jewel ill-Selling or plug and its housing: is such that should it be necessary.

was

for any reason to remove or change the plug: in course of manufacture or when repairing the movement, this operation may be easily performed without special tools.

The holes for iii-settings or plugs ma either be previously drilled or cut out.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1. illustrates a plate.

Fig. 2 bridge piece.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrating tools for making cavities having as many matrices as there are holes in the plate and bridge respectively.

Referring: now to .l igr. 1. I here illustrate a plate (6 which has been worked out with several recesses 7), 0, (Z for the movement of the pinions. This working;- has detorn ied the plate so that holes 0, f". y for stone setting: and l2, 5 for affixing the bridge are no longer accurately spaced. According to the invention the said holes (2. f, 1 are rectified and the holes 71, i t-rued by the tool illustrated n Fig". In practice all the bridgesupportine' holes and the stone setting holes may be trued in one operation, the tool having as many as 20 or 30 matrices.

Similarly the holes in the bridge piece of Fig. 2 are trued by the tool shown in Fig. 4:.

IItlVll'lfl now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said'invention. and in what manner the same is to be pertermed. I declare that what I claim is 1. In a manufacturing process for blanks of watch movements provided with holes tor settings and bushes the procedure of establishing the. interchaira'eability of each piece by first putting-in all the holes according to suitable guide marks and then of recti'lvinc all the holes ol each piece simultaiwouslv l) means of one and the same punch which is likewise guided by suitable but particular marks.

2. In a nuinutacturing process tor blanks o'l watch l novtnnents provided with holes tor settings and bushes the procedure of establishing the interchangreal)ilitv of the bridges bv fi st putting-in all the holes according to least two holes used as guide marks and then rectifying all the holes of each lurdgge simultaneously by means of one and the same punch which is likewise guided lrv guide marks comprising: parts ot the peripherical suriace ol the lil'ltlo'o.

In testimony wherol' l unis mv suprature. 

